Millennial Star

THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS'

MILLENNIAL STAR

[Established 1840].

"Pray always, and I will pour out my Spirit upon you, and
great shall be you)' blessing; yea, even more than if you should
obtain treastires of earth and corrupt ibloiess to the extent there-
of" (D. & C. 19: 38).

No. 34, Vol. LXXXIV. Thursday, August 24, 1922. Price One Peuuy.

INTERESTING EXPERIENCES OF A "MORMON"

CONVERT.

Elder, C. M. Neilson, a prominent attorney residing in Salt
Lake City, has sent us a brief account of his conversion to "Mor-
monism," also an interesting bit of missionary experience. He
says :

My parents joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
in Christiania, Norway, in the year 1860. As soon as the news
reached the ears of my father's employer he promptly dismissed my
worthy sire. This was but the beginning of a series of similar
dismissals, which brought great hardships to the family. Indeed,
so hard was our lot that at times we were destitute of food and
had to go to bed hungry. But notwithstanding these trials, my
parents never evinced the least regret for having cast their lot
with a people who were "everywhere spoken against."

I Avas now ten years of age, and it Avas decided that I should
leave school and go to work, so as to help provide bread for the
family. The commandment which the Lord had given to parents —
to teach their children the prineiples of the Gospel, also to pray
and to walk uprightly before the Lord — wTas faithfully kept by my
mother. It wras her earnest desire that I be baptized and con-
firmed a member of the Church; but I hesitated, fearing that if
I were to do so I would share the same fate as my father — lose
my job.

One day, when I had arrived at the age of sixteen years, my
employer asked me if I had been confirmed in the State (Lutheran)
Church. On receiving a negative reply, he told me I had better
get confirmed, otherwise he would be under the necessity of dis-
missing me, as he didn't Avant heathens in his seiwice. I told my

530 LATTER-DAY SAINTS* MILLENNIAL STAR,

mother that evening the option that had been given me. She
told me the State church was a man-made institution, that
many of its doctrines were entirely contrary to the teaching of

Christ and his apostles, and, such being the ease, it was not the
true fold nor its ministers true shepherds. She advised me to
carry my ease to the Lord, and assured me that if I would pray to
him in sincerity of heart, he would point out to me, by his Holy
Spirit, the course that I should pursue.

As I sat alone the following Sunday afternoon, my folks having
gone to meeting, I began to reflect on my condition. I remembered
the advice that had been given me by my mother a week before,
and decided to follow it. I locked the door, and for the first time
in my life knelt down and began to pray to my Heavenly Father.
I had always bowed in prayer with the family, but had never
prayed alone. I was thoroughly in earnest. I appealed to the
Eternal Father just as a child appeals to his earthly parent, the
substance of my prayer being : " Lord, what wilt thou have me to
do?" I cannot describe what followed ; all that I can say is this:
The Lord convinced me as thoroughly as if he had spoken to me by
his own voice that it was his will that I should become a member
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I arose from
my knees with a burning desire in my heart to be baptized, a desire
which was gratified a few days later — March 2nd, 1872. The step
cost me my job, but I succeeded in finding another.

The following spring Apostle Erastus Snow, President Knute
Peterson, of the Scandinavian mission, and Brother Anthon H.
Lund, his clerk, came to Christiania to attend conference. At the
close of the Sunday morning meeting I, with others, was standing
at the door of the hall. As President Peterson was passing out he
caught sight of me, and drawing me to him he said to the presi-
dent of the conference: "Elder Weiby, send this boy on a mis-
sion." President Weiby looked surprised. He told President
Peterson that I was only sixteen years of age, and that I had
been a member of the Church only a short time. " That makes
no difference," said President Peterson ; " send him." So President
Weiby ordained me a teacher and set me apart as a local mission-
ary. Later he ordained me a priest, and sent me to labor in the
Arendals branch, on the west coast of Norway.

From there I went to Risor, where I took up my labors alone.
I went out into the country, commenced distributing tracts from
house to house, at the same time seeking for places in which to
hold meetings. A farmer granted me permission to conduct a
service in his home. I went among the people, told them about
the meeting, and invited them to attend. They asked me who
the preacher was, and when I told them they smiled.

In the evening, when the meeting time arrived, the house was
filled with people, many of them having come, I believe, out of
curiosity — to hear the boy preacher. I stood outside, trembling,

LATTER-DAY SAINTS' MILLENNIAL STAR. 531

afraid toenter. I went off by myself and prayed with all my
heart bo God to strengthen me, and to help me, by his divine Spirit,
to deliver the message I had been sent to bear. Pear was taken
from me, and with full confidence in the Lord, I returned to the
house and opened the meeting by reading a hymn, not being able
to sing. After offering the invocation, I began to expound the
first principles and ordinances of the Gospel, supporting them with
Scripture quotations which came to me as fast as I was able to use
them. The people were astonished at the liberty with which I
spoke ; I was equally astonished. It was the Lord's doing ; it was
marvelous in our eyes, and to him I then, and now, gave thanks
and praise.

At the close of the meeting a number of people came to me,
asked me where I had been trained for the ministry, and requested
me to hold another meeting the following evening, which I will-
ingly consented to do. I was elated over my success, and looked
forward to a repetition of it at the next meeting; but I was doomed
to disappointment. I did not seek the help of the Lord as I had
done before, and becatise of this he left me to myself, and the
result was failure. The people were greatly disappointed ; I was
more so, and when I found myself alone I prayed to the Lord for
forgiveness — for attempting to proclaim his Gospel without asking
for his divine assistance — and promised him that I would never
again put my trust "in the arm of flesh."

Some time after this I was appointed president of the Arendals
branch. In order to open a door for the Gospel in Laurvik, a
city of about fifteen thousand inhabitants, I went there. I was
alone, an entire stranger, and had very little money. My first
business was to find a place to stay. At a home, on the outskirts
of the city, I enquired if I could get entertainment for the night.
The man of the house said he would willingly take me in but his
family had scarcely enough bedclothes for themselves. I was
very tired, so I told him I would feel thankful if he would let me
sleep on the floor. He gave me permission. When the time came
for me to retire, I took some kindling wood, made a pillow of it
in a corner of the room, and, with my overcoat spread over me,
lay down to rest. This was my bed each night for two weeks,
and, while my body ached. I felt thankful, remembering that
the Master I was serving, the Creator of heaven and earth, did
not, at times, have " a place to lay his head."

I went from house to house, hoping and praying that I might find
some who would lend a listeningear to the glad tidings I had brought
them ; but the minds of the people were so poisoned with false-
hoods concerning the Latter-day Saints that I was unable to
make any headway whatever. I was mocked and ridiculed, and
was of ten told to "go home and go to school." The little money
I had brought with me was almost exhausted, and I was under
the necessity of living on dry bread and water.

532 LATTER-DAY SAINTS' MILLENNIAL STAR,

Becoming greatly discouraged, I decided to quit the mission
iield and go back to my parents. But how was I to get back ? I
had no money with which to pay my passage. While sitting
thinking the matter over, I felt Impressed to go to the woods ami
lay my case before my Heavenly Father. I did so. and after
I had prayed with all my heart I felt as if a great burden had
been lifted from my shoulders. I felt the Lord was with me, and
the consciousness of his divine presence roused my drooping
spirits, gladdened my heart, and created in my soul a determina-
tion to stay at my post, perform my duty to the best of my
ability, and leave the result in the hands of the Lord.

I returned to the city, and as I walked along-, trying to decide
where to commence my labors, I heard a voice, as of someone just
behind me, saying : " Go back ; turn up the first street on the left,
and call at the first house." I believe I was as much surprised as
Philip was when he heard the voice from heaven telling him to go
to Gaza, where he found an Ethiopian, an earnest seeker after
truth, whom he converted and baptized. I obeyed the voice of the
Spirit and went to the house. I knocked three times before I
received an answer. Then the door was opened by a woman, who
asked me in a kind tone of voice what I wanted. I told her that I
was a servant of the Lord, sent by him to preach the Gospel to the
inhabitants of that city. The good wOman seemed as greatly
surprised as I was a few moments before when I heard the voice.
She invited me in, and as I entered a large room I saw a number
of chairs placed in a circle. Speaking for the family the woman
said: "We are seeking truth, Gospel truth, and have set apart
this day as a day of special prayer. We were so engaged when we
heard you knocking at the door. It would seem that the Lord
has heard our petitions and has sent you in answer to them. We
are ready to listen to you."

I stood almost dumbfounded. I did not know what to say.
The thought came to me that if I were to tell them that I was a
"Mormon" missionary they would order me out of the house. I
decided to start with Christ and his apostles, which I did, laying
special stress on the treatment they received at the hands of those
who were ignorant concerning them and their mission. Then
I explained some of the principles and ordinances which the
Messiah had laid down for the salvation of mankind. I next
showed how the world had departed from the primitive Christian
faith, after which I told the family about the restoration of the
Gospel through the Prophet Joseph Smith.

The readers of the Stew will be pleased to hear that the entire
household embraced the Gospel and gathered to Zion, where they
established themselves among the saints of God.

"Everything is beautiful when you see it from the right
perspective." — Emerson.

LATTER-DAY SAINTS' MILLENNIAL STAR. 533

A PRINCE OF BELIEVERS.
W. A. M.

On the ninth day of February, in the year eighteen hundred,
there was born at Tunbridge, Vermont, U. S. A., one of the
noblest characters of this or any other dispensation. I refer to
Hy rum Smith, brother of the Prophet Joseph, and father of the
late President Joseph F. Smith. Hyrnni Smith was a godly man.
Concerning him the Lord said in a revelation which he gave to
Joseph the Prophet, January 19th, 1841: "And again, I say unto
yon, blessed is my servant Hyrum Smith ; for I, the Lord, love him
because of the integrity of his heart, and because he Ioveth that
which is right before me." At the time of his death the Times
and Seasons said: " He lived so far beyond the ordinary walk of
men that even the tongue of the vilest slanderer could not reach
him."

While all manner of evil has been spoken against Joseph Smith,
as was against the innocent Saviour, I have never heard anything
but good spoken concerning his brother Hyrum. To the memory
of this devoted servant of the Lord a magnificent monument was
erected in Salt Lake City Cemetery a few years ago.

In the spring of 1820 Joseph Smith made the solemn announce-
ment that in answer to earnest, fervent prayer, offered up in a
grove near his home, he was given a glorious vision, in which he
beheld the Father and the Son, and received instructions from
them concerning a great and marvelons work which they had for
him to do, namely, to restore the ancient faith and re-establish
the Church of Christ on earth.

Joseph Smith was between fourteen and fifteen years of age
when he received this heavenly manifestation, and his brother
Hyrum Avas between twenty and twenty-one. No one knew
Joseph Smith better at this time than did this elder brother of
whom I speak, and no one was better able to judge of the truth
or falsity of Joseph's declaration than he. Now, how did Hyrnm
Smith treat his brother's testimony? He believed it with all his
heart, yes, just as firmly as if he himself had been the recipient of
the heavenly manifestation. No man ever had greater confidence
in the words of his fellow-man than Hyrnm Smith had in the
story told by his younger brother— the story of the wonderful
vision vouchsafed to him in the grove. This story was the burden
of Hyrum Smith's preaching all the days of his earthly ministry.

At the end of three years Joseph made another startling
declaration — that he had been visited by a heavenly messenger,
who had revealed to him the existence of the plates of the Book
of Mormon. Four years later Joseph announced that he had
received the plates, but had been commanded not to show them
to anyone except to a few chosen witnesses.

534 LATTER-DAY SAINTS' MILLENNIAL STAB.

Seven years had passed since Joseph had first told of the re-
markable manifestation he had received in the grove. All this
time his brother Hyrnin was in close touch wth him ; he knew
the manner of life he had lived. And what had that knowledge
done for him? It had, if anything, increased his faith in Joseph.
He did not question his statement, no, not for a moment, but
accepted it as if it had been made to him by an angel from heaven.
And because of his faith in the words of his brother, he was
chosen as one of the eight witnesses to bear testimony to the
divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon. These men declare
with words of soberness that Joseph Smith showed them the
plates; that they saw the engravings on them ; that they hefted
the sacred record, and that as many of the leaves as had been
translated they handled with their hands. Not one of these wit-
nesses ever denied his testimony.

It was no light thing for these men to attach their names to that
paper. They knew what Joseph Smith had suffered for the testi-
mony he had borne, and they must have known that as soon as
their testimony appeared in print it would bring upon them the
scorn, derision and hatred of those who had arrayed themselves
against the work which the Prophet and his associates were
laboring hard to establish. Yet not withstanding the conse-
quences which they, undoubtedly, felt would follow, they suffered
their testimony to go forth.

Hyrum Smith was, as I have said, one of these witnesses, and,
knowing the character of the man, I am thoroughly convinced
that he would never have signed his name to the document
above referred to if he had not seen and handled the plates of the
Book of Mormon.

In the month of May, 1829, Joseph made the announcement that
he and Oliver Cowdery, in answer to a petition which they had
offered up to God, beseeching him to enlighten them concerning
the ordinance of baptism, were visited by John the Baptist and
received from him the Aaronic Priesthood, which gave them
authority to preach the Gospel and to baptize repentant believers
for the remission of their sins. Not the slightest doubt entered
the mind of Hyrum Smith when he heard this solemn declaration;
he believed with all his heart the testimony of Joseph and Oliver.
He applied for baptism, and was baptized in the Seneca Lake by
his prophet-brother.

The following month Joseph announced that he and Oliver had
been ordained to the Holy Apostleship, under the hands of Peter,
James and John, and that they now had authority to lay on hands
for the imparting of the Holy Ghost, also to re-establish the Church
of Christ on earth. Believing firmly that Joseph spoke the truth,
Hyrum expressed a desire to be made a partaker of the heavenly
gift, which was conferred upon him. In due time he was confirmed
a member of the Church; he was ordained to the priesthood, and

LATTER-DAY SAINTS' MILLENNIAL STAB. 535

in 1837, at a conference held ;it Far West, Missouri, was appointed
second counselor to his brother, the Prophet Joseph. In IS 1 1 he
was called by revelation to succeed his deceased lather as Patriarch
of the whole Church, which office he held at the time of his martyr-
dom, in 1844.

During the thirty-one years that had elapsed since Joseph made
the announcement of his first vision, Hyruni had heard everything
that is vile spoken against the Prophet, but it had Tailed to move
him. His confidence in and love for Joseph never wavered in the
least; he was as thoroughly convinced that Joseph was a Prophet
of God as he was that Jesus is the Christ. No man ever had greater
love for his brother or his friend than Hyrum Smith had for his
brother Joseph; indeed, it was his love for Joseph, and for the
Gospel which he taught, that cost him his life.

Now, the fact that this godly man knew his brother intimately
for more than thirty years; the fact that he loved him with all
his heart, and to his latest breath revered him as a. Prophet, Seer
and Revelator of the Most High, is to me strong, convincing
evidence that such indeed, he was and is.

THE SECRET OF LIFE.

The mountains of the sky ride down

Toward the setting sun,
A wind bestirs the thoughtful trees,

Another day is done.

Oft had I pondered in my mind

The secret of our worth :
Why some men's deeds die with the day,
And some outlive their birth.

Then, as I watched the setting sun,

I heard a whispering tree —
"A man may live his life in terms

Of God's Eternity."

B. D. Martin.

Never borrow money from a friend. You can utilize him to
better advantage in other ways.

What God may hereafter require of you, you must not give
yourself the least trouble about. Everything he gives you to do
you must do as well as ever as you can, and that is the best
possible preparation for what he may want you to do next. If
people would do what they have to do, they will always find
themselves ready for what comes next. — George Macdoxald.

THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS' MILLENNIAL STAR.
Orson F. Whitney, Editor. War. A. MORTON, Associate Editor,

THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 1922.

EDITORIAL:
THE POWER OF SEERSHIP.

"Seer" and "Prophet" are terms used interchangeably, and
for this reason many suppose them to signify one and the same
thing. But this is incorrect. One can be a prophet without being
a seer. The prophetic gift is great, but the seeric gift still greater.

Such men as Emerson, the American philosopher, and Tolstoi,
the Russian sage, are sometimes referred to as " seers," those
who so designate them evidently taking the view that the power
to think profoundly and to express wise and intelligent opinions,
especially on the future, constitutes seership. It is in this sense
that the term "vision" is so much used at the present time. But
a great thinker is not necessarily a seer, though a seer is very apt
to be a great thinker. Joseph Smith Avas both. Not so, Ralph
Waldo Emerson ; not so, Count Leo Tolstoi. They were great
thinkers, great philosophers ; but there is nothing in the life-work
of either to indicate that he possessed the poAvers of a seer.

A seer is one avIio sees. But it is not the ordinary sight that is
meant. The seeric gift is a supernatural endowment. Joseph was
"like unto Moses;" and Moses, avIio saw God face to face, explains
how he saw him in these words : " Noav mine own eyes have beheld
God ; yet not my natural, but my spiritual eyes ; for my natural
eyes could not have beheld ; for I should have AA'ithered and died,
in his presence ; but his glory was upon me ; and I beheld his face,
for I Avas transfigured before him." Such is the testimony of the
ancient Seer, as brought to light by the Seer of Latter-days.

Let it not be supposed, however, that to see spiritually is not to
see literally. Vision is not fancy, not imagination. The object is
actually beheld, though not with the natural eye. We all haA'e
spirit eyes, of Avhich our natural or outward eyes are the counter-
part. All man's organs and faculties are firstly spiritual, the body
being but the clothing of the spirit. In our first estate, the spirit
life, Ave " Avalked by sight." Therefore Ave had eyes. But they
Avere not our natural eyes, for these are not given until the spirit
tabernacles in mortality. All men have a spirit sight, but all are
not permitted to use it under existing conditions. Even those
thus privileged can only use it Avhen quickened by the Spirit of the
Lord. Without that, no man can know the things of God, "because
they are spiritually discerned." Much less can he look upon the

LATTER-DAY SAINTS' MILLENNIAL STAR. 537

Highest nnspiritually, with carnal mind or with natural vision.
"No man" — no natural man — "hath .seen God at any time." But
men at divers times have seen him as Moses saw him— not with the
natural but with the spiritual eye, quickened by the power that
seeth and knoweth all things.

The seerie faculty, possessed in greater degree by some than by
others, is the original spirit sight reinforced orinoved upon by the
power of the Holy Ghost. By this means certain persons, peculi-
arly gifted and sent into the world forthat purpose', are able, even
while in the flesh, to see out of obscurity, "out of hidden darkness."
and behold the things of God pertaining both to time and to
eternity. Joseph Smith possessed this ability— this gift, but it was
the Spirit of the Lord that enabled him to use it. By that Spirit
he beheld the Father and the Son ; and by that Spirit, operating
through the same marvelous gift, he translated the cryptic
contents of the Book of Mormon.

The reputed method of translation was as follows : The Seer,
scanning through the "interpreters" (Urim and Thummim) the
golden pages, saw appear, in connection with the strange charac-
ters engraved thereon, their equivalent in English words. These
he repeated to his scribe — Oliver Cowdery most of the time — and
the latter wrote them. It was a peculiarity of the process that,
until the writing was correct in every particular, the words last
given would not disappear; but on the necessary correction being
made, they would immediately pass away and be succeeded by
others.

The greater part of the Book of Mormon was translated at
Harmony, Pennsylvania. During their sojourn in that little
village, Joseph ami his friend Oliver suffered considerable annoy-
ance at the hands of mischievous persons, who, deeming their work
an imposture, seemed bent upon making their situation as dis-
agreeable as possible. Hearing of this, and desiring to end the
petty persecution, and help along the sacred task to which the two
young men were devoting themselves, Peter Whitmer, Si\, a farmer
of Fayette, Seneca County. New York, sent his son David with a
team and wagon to bring Joseph and Oliver to the Whitmer home.

" When I arrived at Harmony," says David Whitmer, Joseph
and Oliver were coming towards me and met me at some distance
from the house. Oliver told me that Joseph had informed him
when I started from home, where I stopped the first night,
how I read the sign at the tavern, where I had stopped the second
night, etc., and that I would be there that day before dinner: and
this was Avhy they had come out to meet me. All of which was
exactly as Joseph had told Oliver ; at which I was greatly aston-
ished." It was at the Whitmer farmhouse, in Fayette, that the
Church wras organized, April (3th, 1830.

Another instance of Joseph's use of the seerie gift connects with
the occasion of his arrival at Kirtland, Ohio, where the Church, at

538 I-ATTKR-DAY SAINTS' MIIJiBNNIAL STAB.

an early day, established its headquarters. A few months prior to
that time, Oliver Cowdery and three other Elders, on their way
to preach the Gospel to the Lamanites, or Indians, had tarried for
a season at Kirtland, where they converted a number of the white
dwellers in that region. Among these were Sidney Rigdon, Newel
K. Whitney, and others who became prominent in the "Mormon"
community. The Saints in Ohio, learning that the Church would
probably move westward, began to pray for the coming of the
Prophet.

The prayer was soon answered. About the first of February,
1831, a sleigh, driven into Kirtland from the East, drew up in front
of the mercantile store of Gilbert and Whitney. A stalwart young
man alighted and walked into the store. Approaching the junior
partner and extending his hand cordially, as if to an old and
familiar acquaintance, he saluted him thus: "Newel K. Whitney,
thou art the man !"

The merchant was astonished. He had never seen this person
before. " Stranger," said he, " you have the advantage of me ; I
could not call you by name as you have me."

"I am Joseph the Propliet," said the stranger, smiling. "You
have prayed me here, now what do you want of me ?"

Joseph Smith, while in the State of New York, had seen Newel
K. Whitney, in the State of Ohio, praying for his coming to
Kirtland ; and therefore knew him when they met. The purpose
of this vision, in all probability, was to pave the way f or a meeting
between the Propliet and the man who was to have the honor of
entertaining him during the first weeks after his arrival in Ohio.

It was by this power that Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon
beheld that wonderful vision of the three glories, celestial,
terrestrial and telestial, found recorded in the Doctrine and Coven-
ants, Section 76 ; and by it also came to Joseph Smith and Oliver
Cowdery those marvelous manifestations described in Section 110
of the same sacred volume.

All this by the power of seership — all this and more ; for many
other instances might be cited. But these will suffice to show the
nature of this rare and precious gift, and the manner of its exer-
cise by the mighty Seer and Prophet of the Last Dispensation.
O. F. W.

Arthur Brisbane says that recently while traveling on a rail-
road train from one newspaper office to another, he saw cars
loaded with hogs pass on their way to the slaughter house. "One
small hog," says Mr. Brisbane, "is rubbing his neck against the
rough edge of the car door, squealing and biting another trying to
get his place. If he knew what is coming to that neck very soon,
he woidd not bother about scratching it. Perhaps if we knew
what is coming to us before long, Ave should stop biting at each
other."

LATTER-DAY SAINTS' MILLENNIAL STAB. 530

THE ETERNITY OF SEX.

Dr. James E. Talmage.

We affirm as reasonable, scriptural, and true, Liu; eternity of
sex among the children of God. The distinction between male
and female is no condition peculiar to the relatively brief period
of mortal life ; it was an essential characteristic of our pre-
existent condition, even as it shall continue after death, in both
the disembodied and resurrected states.

That birth, or even its antecedent, conception, nowise marks
the creation of a being who before that event did not exist, is
abundantly attested by the revealed word ; it is definitely shown
that every child born to earth lived as an individual spirit in the
primeval worlds.

There is no accident or chance, due to purely physical conditions,
by which the sex of the unborn is determined. The body takes
form as male or female, according to the sex of the spirit whose
appointment it is to tenant that body as a tabernacle formed of
the elements of earth, through which means alone the individual
may enter upon the indispensable course of human experience,
probation, and training. In the first chapter of Genesis, verse 27,
we read : " So God created man in his own image, in the image of
God created he him ; male and female created he them." The
next chapter (read verses f-7) makes plain the fact that the placing
of man upon the earth was an event subsequent to the creation
noted above ; for we are expressly told that " the Lord God had not
caused it to rain npon the earth ; and there was not a man to till
the ground."

The fact of this dual creation, first spiritual and second temporal,
is set forth with somewhat greater plainness in a revelation to
Moses : "For I, the Lord God, created all things, of which I have
spoken, spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of
the earth. . . . And 1, the Lord God, had created all the
children of men ; and not yet a man to till the ground ; for in
heaven created I them ; . . . And I, the Lord God, formed
man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils
the breath of life ; and man became a living soul. . . . Never-
theless, all things were before created; but spiritually -were they
created and made according to my word " (Pearl of Great
Price, p. 12).

These Scriptures attest a state of existence preceding mortality,
in which the spirit children of God lived, doubtless with dis-
tinguishing personal characteristics including the distinction of
sex, for "male and female created he them," spiritually, "before
they were [created] naturally upon the face of the earth." It is
plain that this spiritual creation of mankind embraced the entire
human family and not alone the pair ordained to be the first

540 LATTER-DAY SAINTS' MILLENNIAL STAR.

mortal parents of mankind ; for it is expressly stated that " the
Lord God had created all the children of men" before a man had
been placed upon the earth "to till the ground," even before the
earth was tillable or capable of supporting the vegetation
necessary for human food.

The continuation of individual existence beyond the grave is
even more abundantly declared, though perhaps not more specific-
ally attested, in Scripture than is the fact of antemortal life.
All Christendom professes belief in life after death, and accepts
to some degree, though not infrequently in distorted form, the
doctrine of the resurrection. The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints proclaims the plain, simple, uncorrupted,
scriptural truth of a literal resurrection of the body, by which
the spirit that has been disembodied by death shall again be
clothed with a tabernacle of flesh and bones identical in form
with the body that was laid down. This comprises as a necessary
condition the continuation of the individual existence of the
spirit, as a separate and distinct being, intelligent and progressive.
The literalness of the resurrection is explicitly taught by Alma,
a Nephite prophet, in the forceful declaration that in the reem-
bodied state every limb and joint shall be restored to the pos-
session of the spirit, and that "even a hair of the head shall not
be lost, but all things shall be restored to their proper and perfect
frame" (Book of Mormon, Alma 40: 23).

With such definite word as to the actuality of a bodily resur-
rection, which shall come to all, righteous and sinners, is it con-
ceivable that the essential differences of sex shall be eliminated?
Children of God have comprised male and female from the
beginning. Man is man, and woman is woman, fundamentally,
unchangeably, eternally. Each is indispensable to the other and
to the accomplishment of the purposes of God, the crowning
glory of which is " to bring to pass the immortality and eternal
life of man " (Pearl of Great Price, p. 7).

It is the blessed privilege of restirrected beings who obtain an
exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom of God to enjoy the glory of
endless increase, to become the parents of generations of spirit-
offspring, and to direct these in their development through
probationary stages, analogous to those through which the
parents themselves have passed.

Eternal are the purposes of God ; never-ending progression is
provided for His children, worlds without end !

Any fool can recognize a good thing when the other fellow has it.

"If what one says means nothing, why say it?" — Charles
Crane.

"A day, an hour of virtuous liberty is worth a whole eternity
of bondage."

LATTER-DAY s.M.NTs' MILLENNIAL STAR. "ill

EXPLOSIVE PEOPLE.

In the theological class of a Sunday-school which the writer
attended recently the lesson under consideration was: "The
character and attributes of Deity." Among the statements made
respecting the character of God was the following: "That he is
merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in goodness."
Commenting on this statement, a member of the class said : "In
order to become more like God, it will be necessary lor me to exer-
cise greater control over my temper. I am too explosive." I was
reminded of this to-day while reading in the current number of
The World Magazine the following article by .lames E. Craw -
shaw :

Hot-tempered persons often excuse themselves with the thought
that the passion is soon over. So it may be. The avalanche is
soon over; but it leaves a devastated village. The hailstorm only
lasts a few moments; but it leaves a ruined harvest. In a brief
space of angry passion unjust and cruel words are spoken that
leave a lasting sting in the heart; wounds are inflicted that take a
long time to heal. Drummond puts this very strongly :

"For embittering life, for breaking up communities, for destroy-
ing the most sacred relationships, for devastating homes, for
withering up men and women, for taking the bloom olT childhood —
in short, for sheer, gratuitous, misery-producing power, this
influence stands alone."

The excuse is also made that a hasty temper is an inheritance,
for which we are not responsible. We cannot help being hasty.
any more than we can help being of a dark or fair complexion,
Plenty of people try to shift the blame of their sin upon heredity.
It is true that Ave are not able to help the tendency; but we can
and must help its manifestation in ill-temper. Everyone has evil
tendencies which need to be checked and curbed ; but what is a
man worth who cannot curb his passions ?

The very type of disposition which makes a man liable to these
fierce outbreaks, will, if properly disicplined, make him zealous,
energetic, enthusiastic. It is a temperament which has led many
to great achievements. But we must be ever watchful and prayer-
ful. Divine grace, and that alone, will enable us to win the victory
over our natural besetment. The celebrated painter, W. P. Frith,
relates that, as a young man, he used to attend the studio of an art
master who had naturally a very hasty temper ; but so anxious
was he to conquer it that, when his anger was aroused he would
rush out of the studio and remain outside for a few minutes before
trusting himself to speak.

" You can judge a man by his opinion of women — the lower the
opinion, the lower the man." — Brisbane.

542 LATTER-DAY SAINTS' M I LLIOXNI AI, STAR.

from The mission field.

Sunday-school Pic-nic. — The Grimsby branch Sunday-school, Hull
conference, held its annual outing at Bradley Woods, near Grimsby,
on Monday, the 31st alt. The party numbered two hundred,
including President George Osmond Hyde and six traveling
elders. A splendid program of games and sports was carried
out, adults as well as children taking an active part. Delicious
refreshments were provided and served by the school.

Socials. — The traveling elders of the Norwich conference,
members of the Ipswich branch and a number of their friends,
were gnests of Mrs. Seager, at a social given Saturday evening,
the 12th inst., at 43 Cobbold Street, Ipswich. A very enjoyable
time was spent.

Tuesday evening, August 15th, the Liverpool Branch Relief
Society gave a social which greatly delighted the large gathering
of saints and friends that assembled at Durham House. First
Counselor Harriet Lowther had charge of the entertainment,
and much credit is due her for the success which attended
it. The program was well-arranged and was equally well rendered.
Delicious refreshments were served, after which the rest of the
evening was spent in games and in other forms of amusement.

Baptisms. — On Saturday, the 12th inst., a baptismal service was
held at the Latter-day Saints' mission rooms, 88 Clarendon Road,
Manchester, when three candidates were baptized by Elder Cyril
W. Fossey and confirmed afterwards by Elders J. J. Harrison. M.
D. Clayson, and A. V. Atkinson. Short addi esses on the first
principles of the Gospel were delivered by Elders Merrill D. Clayson
and F. M. Nish. At the close of the service a Priesthood meeting
was held, at which Brother Fred Simpson was ordained a deacon
by Elder Rulon D. Rushton, and a lecture on "The United Order"
was delivered by Elder C. W. Fossey.

On Saturday, the 12th inst., the elders and saints of the Belfast
branch, Irish conference, journeyed to Helen's Bay, where three
candidates were baptized by Elder Robert Warburton. He,
together with Elders Claude W. Hinckley and Leonard Brimley,
afterwards confirmed the newly-baptized converts. The outing
and services were greatly enjoyed by all who attended.

Priesthood Meetings. — The regular monthly Priesthood meeting
of the Nottingham conference was held at Derby, Saturday, the
15th inst. All the missionaries laboring in the conference were in
attendance, also local officers of the respective branches. At 3 :30
p.m. a meeting of branch presidents was held. Encouraging
reports were given, after which President Joseph E. Wright
explained how certain ordinances of the Gospel should be

LATTER-DAY SAINTS' MILLENNIAL STAB. 543

performed. At 5 o'clock refreshments were served by the sisters
of the Derby branch, and an hour later a general Priesthood
meeting convened. Brother Wilfred Bradley delivered an
address on the fifth Article of Faith, and an interesting and
profitable discussion followed. Elder A. Walter Stevenson was
chosen to succeed Elder Abraham Noble as clerk of the conference,
the latter having been honorably released to return home. The
new clerk was set apart by Brother Samuel Pears.

The traveling elders of the Norwich conference met in Priest-
hood meeting Monday morning, the 14th inst., at 25 Tyler Street .
Ipswich. President William II. Wilson presided and addressed
the brethren, after which phases of missionary work were taken
up and considered.

Farewell Testimonials. — Wednesday evening, the 9th inst., a
farewell testimonial was held in the Latter-day Saints' mission
rooms, 88 Clarendon Road, Manchester, in honor of Brother and
Sister Robert Wallace, who, with their two daughters, sailed for
Canada, August 11th, on the s.s. Montcalm. A very enjoyable
program was rendered, and a delightful evening was spent. The
departing family was presented with a handsome carving set. a
token of love and esteem in which they are held by the elders and
saints of the Manchester conference.

On Monday evening, the 17th ult., a farewell party was held at
Leicester, Nottingham conference, in honor of Elder Abraham
Noble and his wife, Annie E. Noble. Wednesday evening, the
2Gth ult., the Derby branch entertained in like manner for Brother
and Sister Noble and their daughter Julia T., the latter having
been honorably released to return to Utah with her parents after
having filled a mission in her native land. The previous evening
Sister Julia was tendered a farewell testimonial at Nottingham.
There was a large gathering of saints and friends. The departing
missionary was presented with a beautiful beaded handbag, in
appreciation of her faithful labors.

On the 9th inst., the Hull branch of the Hull conference gave a
farewell social in honor of Brother James M. Widdowson, first
counselor in the branch presidency, and also president of the
Mutual Improvement Association, who left for Salt Lake City,
Utah, the following day. There was a large gathering of saints
and friends. President George Osmond Hyde and six traveling-
elders were also in attendance. A delightful evening was spent.
The branch presented Brother Widdowson with a handsome stick-
pin.

Branch Conferences. — The semi-annual conference of the Hull
branch convened at Forester's Hall, Sunday, the 13th inst. Among
those present were President George Osmond Hyde, Elders Melvin
T. King, Marvin L. Neilson, and David D. Lamph. A Priesthood

511 LATTER-DAY SAINTS' MILLENNIAL STAR.

and two genera] meetings were beld. There was a large attendance
at the public sessions. Branch President Thomas Wharram and
Elders Lamph and Neilson were the speakers in the afternoon.
The two last-named brethren discoursed on the restoration of tin-
Gospel and the second coming of the Saviour, respectively. At the
evening meeting a large congregation of saints and investigators
listened attentively to addresses on the Book of Mormon, delivered
by President Hyde and Elder King-.

A conference of the Barnsley branch was held at Barnsley, on
Sunday, August 13th last. President J. W. Ernest Tomlinson and
all the traveling elders in the Sheffield conference; were in attend-
ance and addressed the meetings, as did also a number of the local
brethren. Three sessions of conference and a Priesthood meeting
Avere held. A pleasing feature of the Sunday-school session was
the reciting by a number of little children of the thirteen Articles
of Faith. Through the untiring efforts of Elder Clarence L. Giles,
Elder Alvin G. Lovell and Brother Robert H. Briggs the branch
is in a flourishing condition. Cottage meetings are being held in
the village of Higham, where a number of saints reside. These
people now enjoy the privilege of meeting together in public
worship and of being taught more perfectly in the ways of the
Lord.

A conference of the Ipswich branch, Norwich conference, was
held at 43 Cobbold Street, Ipswich, on Sunday, the 14th inst.
The Sunday-school session was conducted by Sister Harriet Baker,
who, together with President William H. Wilson and Elders
Coulam and Crowther, gave a short address. At the after-
noon meeting addresses were delivered by Elders Allen, Barnes,
Schofield, Tolboe and Petersen, and a vocal solo, '•Resignation,"
was rendered by Elder Percy Whetton. There was a good at-
tendance of saints and investigators at the evening meeting,
which was addressed by Elders Dent, Crowther and Coulam.
Sister Florence L. Spall sang "I'm a Pilgrim," after which Presi-
dent Wilson pointed out very clearly how spiritual blessings are
obtained — by the observance of spiritual laws. The conference
was a decided success.

contents :
Interesting Experiences of a Ed itorial: The Power of Seership 536

"Mormon" Convert 529 The Eternity of Sex 539

A Prince of Believers 533 Explosive People 541

Poetry: The Secret of Life ...335 From the Mission Field 542

EDITED, PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY ORSON F. WHITNEY, 295 EDGE LANE,

LIVERPOOL:

FOR SALE IN ALL THE CONFERENCES OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF
LATTER-DAY SAINTS IN GREAT BRITAIN.